‘The commissioner can enter his house. Offer incense at the altar. Yes?’
‘He gave me his word.’
A woman laughed from somewhere inside. Akama had probably invited his family from Tokyo for the weekend. He still looked irritated. Mikami was sure it was a reaction to having an underling intrude on his private space.
‘Okay. Will we have enough space for all the cars?’
‘There should be plenty of room in front of the house.’
‘That’s too close. Can you arrange it so the commissioner can leave the house then walk a little before the reporters come in?’
‘If they park on the road, that should leave enough space.’
‘Will the house be visible in the background, if we do it that way?’
Akama’s attention to detail served to bolster Mikami’s confidence. Tokyo was fixed on securing Amamiya’s house as the venue for their announcement.
‘What’s important is the picture for the cameras. Once the commissioner has paid his respects at the altar, he will emerge – looking dignified – from the house, then take the reporters’ questions outside. Can you set it up to work like that?’
‘It shouldn’t be a problem. If we make sure the cameras are on the road, the house should show up in the background.
‘Should isn’t good enough, Mikami. Make sure you rehearse it the day before. We need to be absolutely certain before we go ahead.’
Akama had yet to say a word of thanks. All the same, his frown had eased and it was clear he’d relaxed somewhat. It also didn’t seem like he was going to raise the issue of the proposed boycott. He was perhaps confident the issue would be rectified during the following day’s round-table meeting, when they would have a chance to discuss it properly with the branch heads. Unless . . . he had something else up his sleeve.
More laughter piped up from inside the house.
‘You’re dismissed, if that’s all you have to report. I’m supposed to be—’
‘Sir,’ Mikami cut in. He couldn’t let his chance to ask pass by. ‘Sorry, but there was one other thing I wanted to ask about.’
‘What is it?’ Akama shot a glance into the house. He was getting restless.
‘What is the commissioner aiming for with this announcement?’
Akama’s eyes betrayed a momentary indecision. But that was all. ‘What are you trying to say? You know, you’d do well to think before you speak, Mikami. The commissioner is there to answer the questions from the press.’
‘Yes, of course.’ Mikami knew he’d get nowhere making Akama angry. And yet . . . ‘Criminal Investigations is on edge.’
‘Oh, is it now?’
‘The situation might get out of control. If we continue to hold the Koda memo at their throats—’
‘The what?’ Surprisingly, Akama gave him a puzzled look. Was he pretending not to know? Or had he really never heard of it? ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. It would help, Mikami, if you made sense.’
‘But—’
Mikami stopped himself there. If he really didn’t know, it would only complicate the matter. What Mikami wanted to find out was the reason for the commissioner’s visit.
‘I just want to understand the whole picture, as press director. If you could tell me Tokyo’s aim in this, that would help a lot.’
‘That’s enough. Don’t you think it’s time you learned, Mikami?’ Akama said, looking as if he’d had enough. ‘What would be the point of your knowing, hmm? Media Relations is just a speaker on a wall. The broadcasting room is somewhere else entirely. Only a select few get to take the microphone.’
A speaker on a wall. A select few. Not knowing how to respond, Mikami dropped his eyes to his feet. As he did, a pair of white socks came sliding into the hallway.
‘Papa, are you still busy?’ came a voice.
The socks were attached to a little wide-eyed girl in her first or second year of secondary school. Her eyes caught Mikami’s and she darted behind a bannister, hiding playfully in the shadow. Akama’s stern fa?ade collapsed.
‘I’m sorry, darling. Papa won’t be much longer now.’
‘We’ll miss the start if we don’t go now.’
‘It’ll be okay, it won’t start right on time.’
‘Mum’s worried the roads’ll be busy.’
‘Okay, Achan, you go ahead and get in the car with Yoshi.’
Mikami had overstayed his welcome. He’d done enough. With this in mind, he bowed to take his leave.
‘Sorry to have intruded.’
When he turned around, he heard a stifled giggle. Turning, he saw the young girl, still half concealed, and watching him out of one eye. She had one hand over her mouth, trying to hold back laughter. An unspeakable emotion washed over him. He felt himself shiver. It was as though he’d caught a glimpse of himself through the girl’s eyes. The way he looked to other people, not the way he looked to himself in the mirror or in a photograph.
Ayumi felt suddenly close by. He felt a need to cover himself with something. The girl’s crescent-moon eyes, which were no doubt full of charm, seemed at that moment to resemble those of a felon or a demon.
36
Back outside, the heavens threatened to open at any moment. Mikami couldn’t tell if it would be rain or snow; the thick clouds could go either way.
As he walked back to his car, his phone started to vibrate in his jacket pocket. Something told him it had also been doing this while he’d been standing outside Akama’s house. He checked the caller display. Mizuki Murakushi.
He heard a noise and looked up. Akama’s garage door was sliding open. A metallic-silver sedan slowly emerged from inside. Akama was at the wheel. His wife was in the passenger seat, dressed to go out. Two heads bobbed in the back. The car drew closer. Passed by. Mikami kept his head down.
He glanced up at the side and back mirrors. The car continued to pull away. The brake lights came on. It turned a corner. Even then, Mikami found it hard to shake the sensation of those eyes, laughing as they watched him.
Something in his pocket was vibrating again. Shaking himself out of his reflections, he pushed the answer button.
‘I know, you’re at work. Should I call later?’
Despite the suggestion, it was clear she had no intention of hanging up.
‘No, it’s fine. I’m on a break. What is it?’
‘I had another call from Minako, about an hour ago.’
‘Okay.’
Hearing what he had expected to hear, Mikami felt a mixture of relief and annoyance.
‘She kept asking about the silent call we had. I think she wanted to convince herself it was nothing to do with the ones you had, that yours were from Ayumi, after all.’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Well? Did you have a proper talk to her about it?’
‘Yeah. Can’t say if it went well or not, though.’
‘You think it might have backfired? She did sound a little cross with me.’
‘Maybe.’
‘Hmm?’
Perhaps that had sounded a little cold. ‘I’m pretty sure it didn’t backfire. Don’t worry about it.’
‘You think so? Oh, you know how worked up I get when I think of Minako having to deal with this by herself. I had another call, too, from the Matsuokas.’
The name threw him for a moment.